Airmen wed during Hurricane Irma, then participate in search and rescue operations

Stan Chambers, WTSP2:01 PM. EDT September 11, 2017

Senior Airmen Lauren Durham and Michael Davis exchanged vows at the Orange County Convention Center before heading out on Hurricane Irma search and recovery missions. (Florida National Guard Public Affairs Office)

ORLANDO, Fla. - Being surrounded by disaster response vehicles wasn't exactly the scenery Lauren Durham and Michael Davis had in mind for their wedding.

But the senior airmen, both medical technicians with the Florida Air National Guard's 125th Fighter Wing Medical Detachment-1, didn't want Hurricane Irma to delay their wedding.

The couple originally planned to exchange vows on Jacksonville Beach next week, but were instead married at the Orange County Convention Center on Sunday so they could participate in hurricane rescue and relief efforts.

"The Air Force lives by the creed 'service before self,'" Davis said. "So that's what we're here for, to put the citizens first."

Their first night was spent awaiting orders for search and recovery operations.

The couple has not decided on when and where they will reschedule their original wedding plans.